Aimee Snow
by ShadowfaxRunner
Summary: Snow has a daughter. Due to the way he treats her, she hates him. She uses her studies of Government and Sociology to trick Snow into sending two Capitol kids to the Games. Then she replaces the girl's names with her own. I want to show the humanity of the Careers rather than their brutality. Thresh/OC romance and a Clove/Glimmer/OC friendship. T for violence & mentions of beating
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

**This is my first Hunger Games fic. It may seem weird with how sweet I make Glimmer and Clove, but I wanted them to seem like people. With feelings.**

"Morning, Dad," I groan as I trudge out of my room.

"Good morning, Aimee," He responds, barely looking up from his paper.

I roll my eyes at him. He still doesn't notice me. After 17 years, he only notices me when he wants to beat me up. I walk over to our kitchen to get some coffee.

"Dad," I say as I sit back down, warming my hands over my red mug, "I heard a rumor."

"Oh?" He still doesn't look at me.

"Some friends told me that their parents told them that the people of Panem think that the Capitol is favored over all the other districts, because we don't have to send our kids to the Games."

"Well," Dad starts, but then his secretary runs in.

"President Snow! We have to have a discussion on the attributes of the—"

"Not now, Koura. I'm having breakfast with my daughter." The pretty secretary leaves and Dad gives me a weird look, "Well, Aimee, you've taken government economics and sociology and anthropology. How do you suppose we take care of this situation?"

Yes! This is the moment I've waited for. Months of planning just to get my dad to listen to me. My best friend, Maledictus, told me the best way to escape my dad was to get into the Hunger Games. It's pretty much a suicide mission. This way, I'm guaranteed to not have to face him ever again. "Well," I say, pretending to think, "What if, this year, we have 26 tributes instead of 24. We can add the two new ones from the Capitol."

"You're seventeen. You could be selected."

"My name will only be in there once. It's not like I have to sign up for tesserae or anything."

Dad laughs, "You're learning well. The deaths of two children are a small price to pay for the peace of Panem."

Coward. _His_ death would be the best price to pay.

He abruptly gets up and leaves, probably to start the rule changing process.

I finish my breakfast and get ready to go hang out with Maledictus. See, Maledictus is like my only friend in the Capitol. He's the only person that I've met that doesn't enjoy the Games. Maledictus is a trainer for the tributes, so he sees the brutality firsthand. We've thought about this plot to get me into the Games since I was twelve. In order to give the Capitol a good show, we decided that I would need to fight as hard as I can to be about the 22nd to die. If I can make it that far, the audience will love me, but I still won't have to deal with my dad. So Maledictus started to train me. He's taught me everything he knows, from swordplay to snares. I'm pretty good, I guess, but I'll never know till I finish my devious plot.

I have to get home soon, or dad will find out what I do when he's gone. When I unlock the door and head towards my room, I stop in my tracks.

Dad beat me home.

"WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?" He thunders.

"I was out—with my friends."

"I called your friends. None of them have seen you!" He grabs my wrist and yanks me toward him. The beatings begin. I'll cry myself to sleep tonight and hide in my room tomorrow. Maledictus always knows when dad beats me, because—if the pain is unbearable—I won't train the next day. If I can move somewhat well, we work on stuff like survival skills.

I wake up the next morning and groan. My side is covered in bruises, purple, black and blue. I look at my wall-mounted EPA (Electronic Personal Assistant). "Message Maledictus Granger," I say.

The electronic voice speaks back: "Enter. Your. Message."

I speak slowly and enunciate well so it doesn't mess up my words. Maledictus and I created a code to talk. If there is ever a message that mentions the Games, my dad, or Panem in general, it's read by a bunch of guys in black suits in cubicles. I found out the hard way my dad doesn't want what happens in our house to be broadcast over Panem. "Sorry about lunch today. I have a cold. Maybe we can take a rain check? See you tomorrow at class."

In other words: I can't train. I can't move. I cried myself to sleep again. We can train tomorrow.

I lay in bed, reading and listening to some weird music that my dad likes that he programmed our house to play. A few minutes later my EPA beeps.

"Read message." I say, barely turning to the side.

"From. Maledictus. Granger." Then Maledictus starts talking.

"I'm sorry about lunch too. Did you talk to your mom about going to the woods on Saturday? I'll see you at class tomorrow."

In other words: I'm sorry your dad beat the heck out of you. Did you talk to him about the Games? See you tomorrow.

"Reply?" My EPA beeps.

"Yes. Reply with: Yes, mom says I can go to the woods."

My EPA Makes a swooshing noise to signal that the message has been sent.

I know Maledictus must be feeling really horrible. He wants me to get away from my dad too, so he must be happy, but I'm the closest thing he has to a sister so he must also feel like he's losing a loved one. I roll over and after the pain in my side subsides I press my cheek into the pillow and cry. I fall asleep with my cheek pressed to a wet circle.

When I wake up the next morning my dad is standing over to me. I shriek and sit up, cowering against my wall. He barely notices. "I have entered the names of all the children in Panem. They wait the reaping in our kitchen. I hope you're happy."

"I'm not happy that two kids have to die," I say carefully, "But I do appreciate the peace of Panem."

He smiles slightly and says, "Well done. I'm leaving for work; I'll be back late tonight."

"Okay." As soon as he leaves I get dressed, wearing slip on shoes so I don't have to bend and tie them. I wake up my EPA and say, "Message Koura."

"Please. Enter. Message." It beeps.

"Koura, please print off one thousand small slips of paper with Aimee Snow written on them."

The EPA swooshes and it's not even a minute later when it beeps again.

"Reply. From. Koura." (since Koura works for dad, I don't have to use her last name. Kind of like what those speed-dials on those old things that people used to send messages on. I think they were called "Cellular Telephones")

Koura doesn't waste a second: "Why?"

"Reply?" My EPA beeps.

"Yes. Reply with: Just do it. I need your help. If you don't I tell my dad you refused to help me with my English homework." I swear I've fired at least three secretaries just by telling dad they won't help me with homework. Now I use that excuse for other reasons. Our last secretary kept hitting on me, so I told dad he wouldn't help me with anthropology.

My EPA beeps to show that she has responded with, "Fine. They will be at your door in twenty minutes."

Nineteen minutes later, my front door opens and she hands me a paper bag of paper slips. I thank her then wait patiently till she leaves.

As soon as she's gone I tape all the slips closed, just like the ones in the jar. I dump out the jar in our fireplace and burn them all. I dump my names into the jar. I'm now entered in the 74th annual Hunger Games. A lot of you may be wondering why I just don't volunteer. Two reasons: One, everyone would realize that this was an escape plot and I wouldn't be able to escape and two, if my dad pulls my name then he will feel terrible. That's almost a good way to get back at him from the past seventeen years.

I can't wait to see his reaction when he pulls my name.

**Please review!**


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

**Here's chapter two. I've only gotten one review! Please, people of the Hunger Games fandom, help me! I don't own HG, that belongs to Suzanne Collins**

Reaping Day. I shake with nervousness as I shower and do my hair. The last thing I remember my mom teaching me (She died when I was seven) was how to do an intricate braiding technique that has about a hundred mini-braids in my dark hair and leaves the rest of my hair flowing down my back. I dress in my favorite dress. It's a black halter top with a loose knee-length skirt and a red belt. I put on a bit of makeup, just enough to make my eyes look big and my lips full.

I walk out of my bathroom and dad has already gone. There's a note on the table:

_Hey Aimee,  
I'm already at the square  
Come soon. Can't wait  
To be back home and  
Watch the Games with  
you.  
Love,  
Dad._

Love. Right. I run outside and our driver is waiting for me with the car. I hop in and he takes me to the square. My hands shake as I get out of the car. Have I done the right thing? What if Dad figures it out? Then where do I go? If I do make it out alive (but I'll try not to) where will I go? A line of girls stretches out in front of me. A line of boys is to my right. I see Maledictus's little brother Petrus (Everyone calls him PePe). As I reach the table the woman holds out her hand for mine. She pricks it with a pin and does a quick DNA analysis. At least, I think that's what it is. She tests the blood with a scanner and my name is on it. So I guess that is what it is.

I move towards the Justice Building. I'm seventeen, so I stay towards the back. The eighteen year olds are behind me and the twelve year olds are in front. My somewhat-friend Jiesey touches my arm. She must notice that I'm shaking. She has no idea what's on the line right now. My dad enters the stage and a few girls slap me on the back, like I have something to do with his power. He shows a short film about the war and the peace and now the Games.

He steps up to the mic as the video ends, "Welcome! Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor! As we approach the newest change in our Games, we pray that you enjoy the chance to represent the Capitol in the arena! First, for the boys! Because as we know, boys always lead!"

Coward. He's putting off the risk—or should I say reality—of drawing my name. They _always_ choose the girl first.

Dad reaches his hand into the bowl and pulls out a white slip. He breaks the seal and reads, "Julio Mendelevium."

Ahh, Julio. The only thing that kid is good at doing is eating and getting beauty surgery. His skin is a pale blue and he has green hair and extra large eyes. He won't survive the bloodbath at the cornucopia. Me, I almost look normal. The only weird thing about me is I have a dark blue highlight in my dark brown hair. I always thought that the surgeries were superfluous and frivolous.

"Now for the ladies."

I swear my heart might stop as his hand reaches into the bowl.

He pulls out one of the one thousand Aimee Snows.

He rips it open and goes completely pale. He stutters out "Aimee Snow."

I make my way up to the platform. He won't even look at me. Julio and I shake hands and we meet our mentor. It's some random winner from District 2.

We're immediately sent to the salon to meet our stylists. We don't need the beauty treatments that the others do, like waxing and stuff because we're from here. My stylist walks in and I almost sigh with relief. It's dad's personal stylist. Dad must have had something to do with that. His name is Issachar and he is awesome. He likes classy clothes, bowties, leather, etc. He and I talk for a bit then he shows me the entrance costume. It's a floor length dark blue ball gown that exactly matches the strip in my hair. Diamonds cover the corset top. He hands me a black and white masquerade mask and has me twirl. The skirt flows out and sashays when I move. He gives me one more thing, a hairdo. He braids my hair, like my mom used to, curls the base and slides small Forget-Me-Not's into the braids.

I walk out and see Julio, dressed in a tuxedo the same color with a weird cape-thing that flows to the floor. Normal tributes wear costumes. We're wearing formal wear. We're doomed. I stand next to the dark horses that will pull our chariots. Somebody says something about getting ready. Julio and I climb into our chariot. We have an advantage over the others. What, you ask? These people are our friends. They know us. Imagine if a million people were in a race against your best friend. No matter how amazing they are, your best friend will still be your favorite.

The horses start trotting forward and I feel my dress fly out behind me. People scream. Many of them know me because of my dad. I hear my name being chanted, and suddenly roses start flying. I catch one and begin to wave. I blow kisses and I swear the people start crying. When I see my dad, it's all I can do to not glare. I'm so happy to be gone from him. The horses turn and after a few minutes we're all together. The girl from 2 beams in her golden parade costume. The two from 12 are stunning with their flaming capes. The boy from 1 looks a little weird in his pink outfit. A massive boy from 11 stands with a tiny girl from his district. They're dressed in overalls and silver leafy crown things. The boy from 2 looks terrifyingly dangerous in his costume.

My dad talks a bit about welcomes, then the horses take off towards our stylists. Issachar and some weird looking lady greet us and lead us to the car. Before I go I notice something weird. All the tributes are wearing their district token. Well, almost everyone. The girl from 1 doesn't have one. I think I heard someone say her ring was a weapon.

We get to the housing for the tributes and my knees almost give out as I try to walk.

"My name is Alcaeus. I won a few years ago and I am your new mentor," The monster of a man looks down at Julio and me, "What can you do?"

Julio just stutters and stares at the floor.

I look right into Alcaeus's eyes and say, "I got bored when I was twelve. I made friends with one of the trainers, and he introduced me to the others so I know a lot. My best things are knives, swords and snares."

"You got bored?" He says.

"One can only take the government buildings for so long before one turns into a psychotic killer. I left before that happened though."

He laughs then takes a swing at my face. I'm caught off guard and he hits me. Not quite as hard as dad, but it still stings. He smiles cruelly. "You won't last a minute." He swings again. This time I'm prepared, and I duck under his arm, run around him and kick him in the back so his chest hits the wall. Now I have the bonus of him not looking at me. I charge forward and twist his arm. He whirls me around and tries to slap me. I block and thrust at his neck. He catches my hand and I kick him in such a way that most men would be singing soprano. Finally he lets me go.

"Maybe you will last a minute. Most girls would be in tears from a hit that hard."

"Let's just say I've been hit harder."

He tells us to get to bed so we will be rested for training tomorrow. After Julio obeys, I turn, "Alcaeus?"

"Yes?"

"We can train separately, right?"

"Why do you want to?"

"I know Julio. I don't want him, uh, weighing me down." I can't even trust my mentor.

His face softens, "Do you know why I volunteered years ago to escape my brothers?"

"No."

"They used to beat me up all the time. That's where I learned how to fight. Your shirt lifted when I spun you around. Who gave you that bruise? Jealous boyfriend?"

I smirk, "No. I can't say."

"It was your dad, wasn't it?"

I drop my eyes. That's all the answer he needs.

"So you came here on a suicide mission? You think this is your only way to get away from him?"

"You got a better idea?"

"Not really."

"I'm strong. My friend and I decided if I make it to the last four, then it won't seem like a suicide mission. If I just stood at the mouth of the Cornucopia and let some random Career kill me, my mission would be a little obvious."

"How did you even get chosen? There's at least a thousand girls here."

"I uh, burned the names and put in a bunch with my name on them."

"And no one knew?"

"Nope."

"Wow. Well, you better get to bed. You shouldn't show off everything until your private session with the Gamemakers. Alright?"

"Yeah, sure."

**Review! PLEASE**


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

**Yeah. Chapter three and still, only one review. I may or may not be going insane. Please help me! Does my story stink this much? I don't own HG.**

"Aimee, get up." I know it's not dad's voice, but I still let out a little scream and bolt upright when a hand touches my shoulder. It's Alcaeus.

"Whoa, sorry, I forgot."

"No problem," I say, trying to catch my breath. He shows me where my clothes are and I get dressed for training. I pull my hair into a high ponytail as I race down the steps, doing high-knees to stretch. Julio's skin looks like it's been rubbed raw.

"You okay, Julio?" I ask.

"I don't really want to be blue in front of the Careers," he says, staring mournfully at his ever-blue arms.

I smirk to myself, _Should've thought of that before you did it_, I think. But then I realize that it's my fault. He couldn't have known he was going to face the Careers. I'm responsible for his death. The thought hits me with a sudden guilt. I'm almost as bad as my father. Almost.

Alcaeus gives us some last minute advice, "Find an ally. Aimee, with your training, you'll probably be invited to join the Careers. That's good for a while, but you'll need to leave them eventually or they'll kill you. If you find a single ally, that would be best, you can be together, longer. Julio, I'd suggest using other methods of finding allies. Use the fact that you're from the Capitol, you have rich friends who will sponsor you, etc. Even then, you'll need to be careful. They'll use you till the end, then kill you."

His blue face goes pale.

I have no idea what's going to happen.

When we get to the training center, my heart races. Maledictus is training a tall Career boy in swordplay. I ignore it and move towards the wrestling station. I do some hand-to-hand combat with the guy and feel eyes on me. As I twist the guy's arm and flip him to the ground, I rest my shoulder on his chest and pin him. I risk a look up. Most of the Careers are staring at me. A dark-haired girl with "12" on her back is watching me too. And, standing away from the others, is the massive dark-skinned boy from District 11. He sticks out a bit more. There's something in his eyes. Maybe a look of hope? Maybe he thinks he can win. He'll probably beat me.

I move on towards the knives. A Career from 2 is right behind me. I throw five knives, each one in the chest or head of the dummy about twenty feet away. I step back and she does the same thing. She turns and holds out her hand, "Clove, District 2," She says.

"Aimee, uh, here." I respond.

"You sure don't look like a Capital kid. Or fight like one!" she smiles.

"I'll take that as a compliment."

Clove laughs. "You're welcome to join us if you want, but don't bring your friend," She nods toward Julio, "I don't think he'll make it past the first hour. And what's with the blue skin?"

"That's the Capitol for you."

She laughs and we make our way to different stations, her to snares, and me to swordplay with Maledictus. I grab a sword and look him in the eyes. They're slightly red. He's been crying. "Tell me that your eyes aren't red for me," I say as I swing at his side.

He blocks and smiles weakly.

"They are, aren't they?"

"Yes."

We parry in silence. If we talk too much, I'm sure I'll start crying. That would kind of ruin my reputation with the tributes. A bell rings and an automated voice says to go to lunch. I get my food and see the different groups. The Careers, consisting of the kids from 1, 2, and 4 bunch together and talk quietly. The two kids from 12 huddle over a basket of rolls. Then there's everyone else. They're scattered around, picking at their food, staring into the distance. I already know I'll never join the Careers. Too pompous and too close to puppets of the Capitol. The one person I would consider to be a good ally was the big guy from 11. I walk over to him and set my tray down.

He looks up, obviously surprised, "You know the Careers will let you sit with them right?"

Clove yells from across the room, "Aimee! Over here!" I wave to let her know I'm fine.

"See what I mean," the boy says.

I whisper, "I don't trust the Careers."

"Yeah, me either. Thresh, District 11."

"Aimee, I'm from here."

"Yeah, the Capitol kid with some killer sword skills."

We make a pathetic attempt at small talk until we both just give up and eat in silence.

After lunch we go back and train. I do some survival training and make small talk with the girl from 12. Her name is Katniss, and she says she's good with a bow. That would be great for the arena. Glimmer, the girl from 1, comes over when Katniss leaves. "You're welcome to join us."

I look up to say thanks, but instead I see something in her eyes. Pain. I'm certain she knows she's going to die. "Thank you," I say. I let a little sarcasm into my voice, "If a Capitol kid is going to be in the Games, I wouldn't want to weigh down the Careers."

She laughs, "Just think about it. Okay?"

I nod. The girls are so friendly. Well, as friendly as you can be when you're trained as a killer from age twelve. A bell rings to signal the end of the day.

When Julio and I get back to the housing for the tributes we both eat as much as we can then go to bed. I stare at the ceiling until about 2 am until I finally doze off.

Alcaeus wakes me up the next morning, careful not to touch me. "You're private sessions with the Gamemakers are today. You two will go first, then District 1, and so on. Julio, try something like survival, or strength. Do not use swords, knives, or bows. If you mess up those, you'll have a terrible rating. Aimee, you need to use swords and knives. You will capture their attention. You're first. Everyone else has to beat you. Use that to your advantage."

As we leave, I touch my chest. I'm smuggling something to Glimmer. The sadness in her eyes yesterday makes me believe that she's not as brutal as her district makes her out to be. One of the things in my wardrobe was a simple necklace with a shiny black diamond charm. No one can say that a necklace is a weapon.

When we get there, we're all lined up. Me first, then Julio, then Glimmer, Marvel, Clove, Cato, etc. I lean across Julio and tap Glimmer's shoulder.

"Yeah?" She says.

"I heard you lost your token."

She looks down. Marvel answers for her, "She didn't know."

"I'm not saying she did. I found this, and figured she could use it," I hold out the necklace.

Glimmer stares at me like I'm insane. "Why?"

"Let's just say, I don't really want to remember the Capitol, but maybe you can use it to remember someone you love."

"My, uh, my mom wears black diamonds." Tears sparkle in Glimmer's eyes, "Thank you."

My resolve for not joining the Careers almost breaks. I nod. A woman walks out and Glimmer quickly hides the necklace.

"Aimee Snow!" She beckons to me and leads me to the training room. The Gamemakers stare at me. Probably interested to see what a Capitol kid can do. I pick up a shiny long sword and a belt full of knives. I move towards where there is a group of about ten dummies. I slice at the first one's arm and throw a knife at another one. I stab the first one, cut the head off a third, throw knives at the fourth and fifth and continue till I finish the rest. Then I do a shoulder roll and throw a knife at the punching bag's rope and sever it, with sand bursting on the floor. I throw a knife at an iridescent light and a shower of sparks fills the room. The Gamemakers are silent. The woman who brought me in leads me out.

I sit in the living room of our apartment as I wait for Julio. Finally he walks in.

"What did you do?" He says, "It took them a good hour to clean up before I could go!"

I smile to myself. I hope I get a good score.

That night everyone has drinks, Julio and I drink water though, and we sit around the television screen to see the scores.

Ceaser Flikerman starts with a welcome and says that they'll do the districts first and the Capitol last. We're scored on a scale of 1-12. Careers normal get in the 8-10 range. Glimmer gets a 9. Marvel gets a 9 too. Cato and Clove both get 10. Thresh gets a 10. I don't know what he did, but he impressed them. The little girl gets a 7. She must have impressed them too. The boy from 12 gets an 8. Katniss gets and 11! She must have done something insane!

"From the Capitol," Ceaser says, "Julio Mendelevium, with a score of 4. And Aimee Snow. With a score of 10."

We all start to cheer. I got a 10! I'm as good as Cato!

Julio drops his head, "I didn't expect much different." He says.

**Poor Julio. Please, Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

**Sorry about not posting lately…I started school again and I'm studying for an Earth Science exam. Yay. Can you tell how overjoyed I am? I don't own HG**

Interviews are today. I'll be going first. Issachar brings me a dress that almost makes me laugh. It's the same chocolate brown as my hair, but with a belt the color of the blue streak. Issachar smiles mischievously. I slip into it and he has me twirl. The dress fits my curves perfectly and shows off, well, me amazingly. He does my hair in an up-do with braids and twists. But he leaves the blue streak perfectly in place on my forehead. As we all line up, ready for our interviews, I see that Glimmer is wearing the necklace I gave her.

As Ceaser does his intro talk, Glimmer and Clove race up to me. They start talking clothes. I never would have thought that two Career girls would be interested in clothes. They go on and on about how gorgeous our dresses are, and I find myself enjoying their attention. I'm mostly known for being Snow's daughter. Here, I'm known for me. My power, my ability, and most of all, just who I am. Before we can finish our conversation, a woman leads me onto stage.

Ceaser Flikerman introduces me and I wave. The people start screaming. We sit down and he jumps right in, "Tell me, Aimee, are you ready?"

"I'm as ready as I'll ever be. This isn't exactly something you can be ready for," I flash a smile at the audience. They cheer for me.

"How do you feel about the new rules, sending Capitol kids to the Games?"

"I feel bad for the parents of the children, but I believe we do what we have to for the peace of Panem."

"You scored a 10 in training, what did you do to get that?"

"Well," I begin, cautiously, "My best friend is a trainer, and when we would hang out together, I said I thought swordplay looked fun. He taught me a little bit, and over the years, I've apparently gotten quite good!"

Ceaser laughs, "Okay, I have one more question, do you think that your father will help you?"

Oh no. No, I don't think he will. But I have to be careful. If I say the wrong thing my plot will be exposed. "Well," I chuckle, "If it comes down to my life on the line, I certainly hope he will help me!"

The people laugh. They are completely clueless.

Ceaser laughs too and takes my hand, holding my arm up above my head. "Ladies and gentlemen!" He yells, "Aimee Snow!" Screams of adoration fill my ears.

I know I'm shaking as I step down and Julio goes up. Glimmer and Clove squeal and grab my hands and talk about how awesome I was. I'm taken aback at how beautiful they both are. Glimmer is wearing a see-through pink dress that barely makes it mid-thigh. She is so beautiful. When she goes up, her angle is flaunting herself. She sits a position to show off all her curves, laughs often and bats her eyelashes at the crowd. They love her. When she gets down though, the happiness leaves her face and she breaths hard. Her hands are shaking and Clove and I barely catch her in time. As strong as she appears in front of the camera, Clove and I are both surprised at how scared she seems when it's just us three. It scares me to think of leaving her and Clove alone. I'm truly surprised at these two girls. They seem so real. I mean, all my life I've thought of them as stupid vicious puppets of the Capitol. But when it comes down to it, at least Glimmer is as scared as I am at the thought of the Games.

After Marvel's interview, Clove goes up. Her coral colored dress shimmers as she walks. She laughs with Ceaser and talks about how she plans to win. When she comes down, Glimmer's eyes flicker between the two of us. "I wish I could be as confident as you two."

"Glimmer," Clove says, "It's okay to be scared. I don't know about Aimee, but I was terrified to go up there."

I nod in agreement, "I'm certain Ceaser could feel how shaky my hands were."

"You're just saying that," Glimmer wipes away a small tear.

I hold up my hand, which is still visibly shaking.

Clove and I take Glimmer's hands and lead her to her stylist who takes her upstairs. Cato enters again and he and Marvel shake their heads at her. Clove and I exchange a look and walk right up to them.

"You got a problem?" Clove snaps.

"No." Marvel glares at her, "I just don't want my District being remembered for Glimmer being weak."

My blood boils, "If anything," I try to control my anger, "She is braver than you. She put on a brave face for the audience and is strong enough to accept help. If anything, your bullying her is a sign of cowardice."

"Ooh," Cato says, "Don't mess with Capitol girl."

I'm about to take a swing at him when Issachar puts a hand on my shoulder. Clover walks away with me, but she makes a point to step on his toe with the heel of her coral stilettos. We smirk at each other and at that moment I wish I was wearing stilettos too instead of the dainty little brown things Issachar has me in. Clove goes towards the left to her stylist and Issachar takes Julio and me away to our rooms.

Alcaeus tells us to get some sleep but it takes me about a minute to realize I won't be sleeping. My biggest choice tomorrow is whether to join the Careers or try and team up with Thresh. I don't want to seem like a Capitol puppet so I think that Thresh would be best. But, on the other hand, I'm already friends with Clove and Glimmer. I have no idea what to do. An Avox walks in to do something—she probably thinks I'm asleep—and I risk everything.

"Hey," I say.

She starts and moves toward the door.

"Wait! Please, I need help."

She turns. She sits down at my feet and nods.

I tell her everything. I start with how my dad treats me, then on to my plot with Maledictus. I tell her about switching the names and about being chosen for the Games. I tell her how strong I am. I tell her about the Career's offer and making friends with Clove and Glimmer. I tell her about standing up to Cato and Marvel. I tell her about my score in training. I tell her about my fear of becoming a puppet of Panem. I tell her about lunch with Thresh and finally my dilemma. I know it's weird to ask this of an Avox, but I ask her what she would do. Would she join the Careers or team up with Thresh?

The girl smiles at me and motions like she's writing on her hand.

"Oh, right!" I say and run over to get a pencil and pad of paper.

She writes for a minute and hands it back to me.

It reads_, "This is not something I can help you with. All I can do is telling you what I would do. If it were me, I would join Thresh. I would not survive the Careers. They will kill you. And they will have fun doing it."_

I nod my thanks and fall back on my pillow. She's just slipping out the door when I say, "Wait! What's your name?" My small act of asking her name is a slap in my father's face.

She comes up to me, and writes down, "_Arielle_."

I smile. "Goodnight, Arielle."

She smiles and slips out of the room.

**Please Review!**


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

**Well, this is annoying. School is officially evil. For those who don't know, I'm homeschooled, so my semester ends when I finish it. And right now all I have left is English III and Consumer Math. I've already finished Logic II, Government, and Earth Science A. Anyone want to trade lives? I don't own HG.**

I'm not surprised that all I did last night was pace. I didn't sleep at all. I forced myself to eat meat and drink water as much as I can. I'll need the energy and hydration. When Alcaeus gets me up in the morning we ride in silence to the hovercraft boarding area. Alcaeus takes Julio aside and talks to him for a minute. Then he speaks with me.

"Aimee. I know what you've been through. Just remember, you're not alone in this. Stay alive and everything will be okay."

I nod. My mouth is too dry to speak. I board the craft and the woman there starts injecting something into our arms. I'm too paralyzed to speak, and I barely feel the needle in my arm. The girl from 12, though, is not about to be silent.

"What is that?" She says.

"It's your tracker," the woman responds.

I catch Glimmer's eye and give her a slight smile. Her smile says she's fine, but her eyes say she's terrified. I've already made my decision to try and team up with Thresh. I hope he'll let me; otherwise my fate will rest in Cato and Marvel's "ever-so-capable" hands. I sneak a look at Thresh. He's leaning forward, staring at his hands clasped in his knees. One thing I haven't thought of is what the heck will I do if he won't team up with me? I could run back to the Careers, hoping that Clove and Glimmer's friendship would protect me. I fret over this till we reach the launching room.

Four armed Peacekeepers escort me into a room. In the corner stands Issachar. I hug him and he hands me a bundle of clothes. Plain cargo pants, gray tee shirt, and a black jacket made out of a certain Capitol-made fabric that works like a personal thermostat. When it's hot, the jacket keeps you cool and vice versa. He hands me a pair of combat boots with grips made for running. Then he brings me something. I don't have a token because I don't want to remember the crap hole that I came from. But that's exactly what Issachar brings me. A token.

"I know you don't really want one, but this was your mother's." He holds out a simple chain with a ring on it. Wait, is that my mother's engagement ring? It is! That is one token that I'll wear in the arena.

"Thirty seconds!" The room tells me. Now I start to panic. I feel myself shake. Issachar puts his hands on my shoulders firmly and turns me towards him.

"Hey," he says, "Hey, Aimee. It's alright. I know why you're here. Everything will be okay."

I step into the tube and it shuts me in. I get claustrophobic. I can't breathe. I bang on the walls with my fists. I have to get out. I have to. Then it starts to move. I'm slowly going upwards. Suddenly the light hits my face. A huge sliver Cornucopia sits in the middle of the arena. It's filled to the brim with supplies and weapons. The clock starts counting down_. _

_60, 59, 58, 57_

I see Glimmer. She mouths at me, "_Careers_?"

Tears brim in my eyes, "_No_." I mouth back.

_45, 44, 43, 42_

She smiles weakly.

I mouth "_Thresh_" and nod toward him.

She grins and winks at me.

If it wasn't right now, I'd probably laugh.

_30, 29, 28, 27_

Cato is eyeing the swords. I know I'm going to have to go right in the midst of them to get the weapons I need.

_20, 19, 18, 17_

Clove knows what I'm doing. She mouths, "_We've got your back_" and nods at Glimmer. They won't let the Careers hurt me.

_10_. I'm scared. _9_. Will I survive the bloodbath? _8_. I'm certain that Cato and Marvel will be so happy to slit my throat. _7_. At least I'll be away from dad. _6_. I consider "tripping" and getting blown to bits. _5_. No, too obvious. _4_. The time is now. _3_. I drown out everyone. _2_. Here we go.

_1._

As the bell sounds, I bolt off the platform and race towards the Cornucopia. I'm fast for a girl and I beat everyone but Cato. He grabs a sickle and smiles evilly at me. "Get your weapons, Capitol." He says. Then he runs out and starts killing people. I race in and grab a short, broad sword and a long straight one. I grab a belt of knives and two backpacks. I hear Julio scream my name and I turn just in time to see Cato kill him. I scream at Cato in pure anger. Julio was just a kid. Thresh races in, grabs his weapon, kills a boy from a random district and bolts off. I take off after him. The Careers are much too busy to notice me.

Before I can get too far I hear Glimmer scream. I whirl around to see a massive boy towering over her. She sees me and screams my name. I throw one of my many knives and it embeds itself in his neck. Blood spurts from his wound and splatters on Glimmer. I turn and run after Thresh, but by now he's well ahead of me.

I chase after him until he disappears into the woods. As soon as I reach the tree line, I drop to my knees and look for tracks. Being the massive boy that he is, Thresh leaves quiet an obvious trail of broken twigs and smashed grass. I follow him till nightfall and then I lose the trail. I know the Careers are picking off the weakest kids. I wonder how Clove and Glimmer are doing. Are they really as brutal as their male counterparts? I don't think so. I hear a snap of twigs and I freeze. Another noise. Suddenly the girl from 5 steps out in front of me. Her eyes gleam in the moonlight and I suppose mine must to. I know she sees me. She's looking right at me. She's not moving.

"If you don't attack me," I say, "I won't kill you."

She nods, turns around and bolts off in the other direction.

I find a nook in the rocks and slide in. I cover myself with branches, leaves, and moss that I find on top of the rocks. I'm well camouflaged so I risk a few minutes of sleep. Well, I try to stay under twenty but when the anthem booms and my eyes dart open, I know I've been asleep for at least an hour. I watch the skyline to see which tributes died. They always wait till nightfall to count the bodies, because it's too confusing to count during the bloodbath. I always figured that if a person wasn't moving, you counted them dead, and if they moved then they were alive. But apparently the Capitol isn't as simple as me.

The first faces start to appear. Julio, which I already knew. The girl from 3 is dead. Both tributes from 4. The boy from 5. Both from 6 and 7. The boy from 8 and the girl from 9. Then both from 10. Thirteen down, thirteen left.

But at least Glimmer, Clove, Thresh and Katniss are still alive. If it comes down to it, I'd like the winner to be one of them.

I hold one of my many knives against my chest. I won't go to sleep…I have to stay awake…I can't go…sleep.

_BOOM!_

The canon makes me sit strait up and I catch my breath, hoping with everything I have that the Careers aren't anywhere near me. I look up towards the sky. It's almost dawn. No, the face appearing is not one of my friends. It's the thirteen-year-old girl from 8.

**Next chapter will be officially awesome! But I'm still working on it. It may or may not be up tomorrow. But in order for me to post, I NEED REVIEWS!**


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

**I promised you an awesome chappie, so an awesome chappie you shall get! Suzanne Collins owns HG, and I don't.**

My stomach growls. I've been so busy tracking Thresh that I forget to eat. A branch snaps. Too small for a kid. Too small for anything larger than a cat. Another snap. I don't think. I just act. I throw my knife into the air and hear a small squeak. I reach out with my legs unmoving. My fingers touch fur. Nothing moves. I must have killed it. I pull it towards me, clean my knife, and feel the animal. Soft downy fur, no tail and long ears. I just killed a rabbit. In the dark. Not bad.

When the sun comes barely up, I build a small fire, trusting the mist to conceal the smoke, skin the rabbit and cook it on a spit. While it cooks, I examine my bags. I got two from the inside of the Cornucopia, so they should have the good stuff. They're identical. And they both have the same stuff. Each one possesses a small loaf of bread, a box of crackers, beef jerky, a slingshot, two water bottles—full!—some rope, wire, matches, and a sleeping bag made out of the same material as my jacket.

I munch on the rabbit and drink a little water as I search for Thresh's tracks. I finally find a trail of smashed grass. He must have noticed that he was being too careless as he ran. I follow the scarce trail for hours on end. I know that I'm not on screen. Watching the Careers slaughter the weakest ones is probably much more interesting than the President's daughter walking around and tracking. I know my dad is watching though. He's probably gone through the names—to see what were my real odds—and he would know what I did.

After another hour of walking and contemplating, I come to a grain field. There's no way I can track in this. So I scale a tall pine tree—courtesy of the really boring days at the training center where I would just climb because I was bored—and stare across the field. I see a slight trail of broken grain and finally one spot that's almost flat near the middle with a huge dark mass in it. Thresh. He has a large pile of items around him, so he must have made off well from the Cornucopia. I climb down and walk towards the field. If I just walk right up to him, I'll scare the heck out of him. So instead I stand at the edge of the field and call out "Thresh! Thresh, it's Aimee! I'm alone! Please don't kill me!"

Silence. He probably thinks I'm with the Careers trying to lure him out.

"I'm alone!" I yell, "I'm coming in!" I pull out a knife, just in case, but I don't expect him to kill me. I walk, purposefully being very loud. Finally I push back the last stalks and I'm face to face with Thresh, who's standing armed and ready.

"I told you I was alone," I say.

He nods and lowers his sword.

"Okay," I say, putting my knife back into my belt, "Look, I'm good. I can help you. The Capitol people are more than ready to aid me. I can fight. Please. I can't go to the Careers. Marvel and Cato already hate me and Glimmer and Clove can only protect me for so long."

"The Capitol won't help you."

"What do you need?"

He thinks for a minute then smiles. He's going to test me. "I want a spear."

I exhale. This is my chance. I know I have sponsors. I turn and look up. If Alcaeus really cares, like he claims to, he will help me. I stare into the sky and smile. A parachute floats towards me. Yep, it's a spear. The note on the spear says, "Good choice. ~A".

I tuck the note into my backpack as a reminder that I'm not alone and I hand the spear to Thresh.

"I don't trust you," He says.

Ouch. "That's okay," I say, "We're not here to trust people, we're here to survive."

He makes some motions with his hands. Thank goodness one of the trainers said signing would be good for silent communication in the Games. He repeats the motion, "_I don't trust the Capital_."

"_Me either_," I sign back.

"If it comes down to us—" He starts.

"You won't hesitate to kill me. I know."

He grins, "Okay. But you know it's not gonna be easy. One of us will die."

"I know. But maybe now I have a better chance of taking out Cato and Marvel. But one thing."

"Sure. I got a spear, I can probably grant you a single favor." He grins.

"Just, please, don't kill Clove or Glimmer. I know it's weird, but they're not like the other Careers. They're kind. They're my friends. Please don't kill them."

"I can't say that I won't, but I can say that I won't unless in defense. Okay?"

I nod.

We sit down and go over our supplies. We ration everything and divvy it all up so we each have enough to last a few days.

I cough a few times. I think I'm coming down with something. Probably just a cold, but in the Games, a cold can be your death.

"You okay?" Thresh says.

"Um, yeah, I'm fine." I unwrap the rest of the rabbit.

"I'll cook that."

"You cook?" I did not see this coming.

"Yeah. Well, when we didn't have much food in 11 we learned to make the most of what we had." He makes a small fire out of the grain stalks and uses a pot from his pack to boil some water. He removes the bones from the rabbit and boils the bones for about twenty minutes. Then he takes them out and adds the rabbit meat along with some grain seeds and some berries that he must have harvested. It steams and bubbles and the aroma is about to make me pass out from hunger. Then we realize that we have no way of eating it.

I look up at the sky and say softly, "Hey, Alcaeus. Thanks for the spear and all, but can we have some spoons?" I swear it's not a minute late when a basket floats toward us. It holds two bowls, two spoons, six rolls and a small cake. I grin and look at Thresh. "I guess there are some perks to being from the Capital." I blow a kiss towards the sky and wave. Panem may think I'm thanking them but right now I just want to slap Snow and say_, "You treated me like crap for years, and now you are going to pay. If I die, you can bet I won't be scared. Anything is better than you."_

Thresh notices me staring into the distance. "You okay?" he hands me the soup, "This will help with that cough."

"I'm fine, thanks," I say. If he knows why I'm really here and that I'm not really fighting for survival at all, he won't want me to help him. If I die, I can at least help him win.

I finish my soup and I feel myself falling into a sick stupor.

"Get some rest," Thresh says, "I'll keep watch."

I curl into my sleeping bag and pass out. Terrifying dreams blur my subconscious. I see my mom, tied to a pole, being burned at the stake. I see Clove being brutally murdered by Cato. Katniss is mauled by a bear. Thresh being whipped for helping me. And Snow. Snow is everywhere. Beating me as a little girl. Killing Maledictus with a mace. And the worst one, murdering Thresh while I stand motionless. Unable to move. Unable to help Thresh. I'm stuck. Stuck with _him_ forever. The last dream I remember Snow standing over me with a hungry look in his eyes. Not hungry for me, hungry for my blood. I see him raise a dagger and I scream and bolt upright. My eyes are wide. I'm certainly awake now.

I become aware of movement behind me. A large mass of body heat. And a strong arm across my waist. I turn and Thresh is just getting up. "What are you doing?" I say.

"You got worse. Really, worse. You were shaking and sobbing. You were freezing to the touch. So I was just holding you to warm you up. I must have fallen asleep."

"You think?"

"I'm sorry, I was just trying to help."

I relax a bit. "That's okay. I just, I mean, I'm not really good with, uh, touch."

"Right, okay."

_BOOM!_

I jump up. Thresh is right next to me. We both have people we care about in this. I have Glimmer and Clove and he has the little girl. I know he cares for her because I saw him watching her in training. The face appears in the sky.

Glimmer.

A guttural groan escapes me and I fall to my knees. I hold my head in my hands and rock back and forth. She was my friend. And now she's gone. Why? Tears stream down my face. Thresh sits down next to me and—completely ignoring what I had just said—wraps his strong arms around me and hugs me to his chest, rocking me slowly as sobs rack my body. I feel myself just fall, inside and out. It's hard to describe because I have both the longing to die and the longing to burn Panem. I'm now on my knees with my torso on Thresh's legs and my head on his chest. My arms are wrapped around his waist and I grip him with everything I have. At times like this it's good to have something strong to hold on to. Finally the sobs lessen and he loosens his grip on me. He pushes my shoulders back until I'm facing him, my face red and blotchy, soaked with tears.

"Aimee. Aimee, this is the time to fight. Prove to the Capital," he stops speaking and signs, "_Prove to them that they're wrong._"

I nod and we get up. He takes my hand and we start walking. In this moment, we're not allies. We're not fighters. We're not tributes. In this moment, we've become friends. If this is what true friendship is, I'd give the world for it.

**Isn't he sweet? REVIEW PLEASE**


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

**I am so insanely sorry it has taken me so long to update. Six words to explain my absence: Math, Science, Economics, English, Art, Rhetoric. Yes, I'm taking Rhetoric. No, I don't know why.**

We hike along, looking for anywhere to settle. My hands are still shaking from reacting to Glimmer's death. Thresh holds my small right hand in his massive right one, with his left arm around my waist, keeping me upright. How I wish that we had met in another time. How I wish I wasn't here to die.

"So," Thresh says, breaking the silence, "What was life like for the Capital girl?"

I can't lie to him, but I'm not ready to trust him yet, so I turn to my second language, sarcasm. "Oh, you know, same as you, just better food and weirder clothes."

He laughs, "What did you do? I mean, you don't strike me as the girl to get beauty treatments."

"I trained. I grew up like a Career. I've always thought swordplay looked fun, so when I was twelve I got more into it. If I wasn't training, I was either studying or reading."

"Sounds like an eventful childhood."

I laugh, "What about you?"

"District 11 is really strict. Kids like me got up, did school, worked, and went to bed. During the planting and harvest season it was the same just without the school part."

"Yikes."

"I know in 11 we poor kids grow up to be farmers, like in 12 the poor kids all grow up to be coal miners, but what do you do in the Capital?"

"We didn't have a lot of job options either, stuff like beautician, chef, Gamemaker, trainer, or politician. None of which sound like fun. I'd rather be a farmer."

Thresh smiles and flexes, "Yeah, you get guns like these!"

I laugh, "No wonder you scored a ten! What did you do?"

"I threw some heavy stuff around and used a sword. You?"

"Swordplay and knives. I didn't exactly stick to the dummies though. I threw a knife at the sandbag and kinda severed the rope, and I threw one at a light. It was like, indoor fireworks!" We both laugh.

"So," he says, "The boy from your district, I mean, the Capital, who was he?"

"His name was Julio. He was a year older than me but we hung out sometimes. He really didn't stand a chance. His talents were getting plastic surgery and eating. He was the poster child for the Capital."

Thresh looks at me, "Is he still alive?"

"No, Cato killed him. Wait, wouldn't you know if he had?"

"I was too busy running. I didn't even look up. The girl from my district?"

"She's alive. I don't know where she is though."

"So who all is still alive?"

"Let's see if I can remember, Marvel, Cato and Clove, the boy from 3, the redhead from 5, the girl from 8 and the boy from 9, both from 12, the girl from your district, and me and you."

"Twelve left to play," he grins.

"If you can call it playing." Just then there's a noise. Thresh and I both freeze and slowly lower ourselves into the brush. It's Cato, Clove and Marvel. My knee twitches and the twig I'm squatting on snaps. All three of them whirl around.

"What was that?" Cato says.

Clove looks right at me. I know she is because she smiles slightly. Tears glisten in my eyes. I mouth, "_Please_," and she nods, too slight to be noticed by anyone except the one it was directed to.

She looks away and suddenly says, "There! You need to relax Cato. It was just a rabbit."

Marvel laughs.

"Shut up," Cato punches him. I see Clove is suppressing a smile. "Let's go," Cato commands. They take off with the boys in front.

"Hey!" Clove yells, "There's a rock or something in my boot. You guys go ahead. I'll catch up."

"We're not leaving you," Marvel says. Career loyalty.

Clove smiles convincingly and evilly, as she fingers her knife, "No one can get within ten yards of me. Go ahead. Besides" her smile falters, "After Glimmer, I'd kind of like a bit of time to myself."

The guys leave and as soon as they're out of sight Clove stands up and starts walking towards Thresh and me. Thresh rests his hand on his sword but I grab his wrist. I stand up and smile weakly at Clove. Tears brim in her eyes and we run towards each other. We hug each other with everything we have. She's two years younger than me and about a half a foot shorter, so her head barely comes up to my shoulder. I wonder if this is how Thresh felt after calming me down after I found out about Glimmer. Finally we separate and she looks at me, "I thought you were going after Thresh?" I grin and nod towards the bushes where he still sits.

"Ah." She says, "Not one for the Careers?"

"Are you?" I say.

"Good point. You guys doing okay?"

"Yeah, the Capital is more than willing to help out one of their own."

"And you? Are you okay?"

"I'm as good as I'll ever be. You?"

"I think Marvel hates me."

"He's not exactly a nice guy to begin with."

She laughs, "They'll be wondering where I am. If you and Thresh don't work out, I won't let them kill you."

"Thanks. I really love it that I'm offered to team up with people who hate me!" I laugh.

Clove smiles, squeezes my hand and runs off after Cato and Marvel.

Thresh gets up and comes towards me.

"Wimp," I grin.

"I can't believe you're friends with a Career."

"She's not a Career. She's Clove, who happens to come from District 2 who came with a Career boy. Careers are brutal. Clove isn't."

"Why didn't you offer to let her join us?"

"Oh," I think, then smile sheepishly, "I didn't even think of that." I look to see where she went but there's no sign of her. Thresh holds out his hand. Normal people would take or ignore his hand because they wanted to, or not. I take it, first of all, because I'm exhausted and may pass out without support and secondly, what better way to anger my father than getting in a relationship with a boy from an outlying district?

We walk on for about twenty minutes before a realization hits me. I'm no longer holding his hand because I need to or because I want to anger my dad. I'm holding his hand because I want to. I want to feel the warm, solid pressure of his hands against mine. It reminds me that I'm not alone.

I have a friend.

His name is Thresh.

**Awwwwwwww. Please review! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER 8

**Well, I'm finally updating! Yay for me! To those who say you've been crying in this fic, just wait. You'll really cry! I finally know what Steven Moffat feels like as he tortures undeserving fangirls.**

**I don't own Hunger Games**

Well, Thresh and I have been walking for a good three days now, just trying to avoid, well, people. People in general. I think the technical term is introverting. The Capital has been more than generous with blankets and food and whatnot. We're just now sitting down to eat some chicken the Capital sent us. It's cold, but seasoned with salt and ginger. Suddenly a two booms sound out of nowhere. Thresh and I stare into the sky.

"Who are you hoping for?" He asks me.

"I'm hoping it's Marvel, or maybe Cato. You?"

"Same."

The first face flashes. It's the little girl from his district. I feel his massive hand slip into mine, and I give it a reassuring squeeze. I turn to him; he has tears on his face. I lean next to him and rest my head on his shoulder. We watch for the second face. Marvel's face flashes in the sky. I breathe out. At least one of them is dead. I hope it was Clove who killed him. Probably not or Cato would have killed her. Thresh won't look at me. I pull off a drumstick for him, but he only picks at it. I can barely stomach it either. I know that my dad would want me to be delighted that the devil spawn from District 1 is dead, but I just can't seem to be happy over the death of a kid, jerk that he was. We're sitting in a semi-hidden are underneath the leaves of a huge weeping willow. We sit there for almost an hour till a voice blasts through the arena.

"Tributes! The previous rule pertaining to one winner has been revoked, within certain boundaries. If two tributes belong to the same district are the last to live, they will both be counted as winners. Or, if a single tribute is partnered with the tribute from the Capital, Aimee Snow, and they are the last two to survive. That is all."

I stare at Thresh, and I feel the blood drain from my face. How can I possibly die now? His life could possibly rest in my hands. "Aimee," he says, "What's wrong? This is good news!"

"No. No, it's not. It's horrible news."

"Why?"

I look away and mumble, "I can't tell you."

"Aimee," he lifts my face till I'm looking at him, "Aimee talk to me."

"I can't," I say, "It's not something I can say in the arena. Not with cameras. "

"Okay," he drops his hands, "Okay, but as soon as you're ready, I'm here."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"We should move," I say, standing up and stretching.

"You're right."

"I know," I grin. We start walking, towards a place where we know there's a stream. Streams mean water, which in the arena, is a priceless asset.

As we walk, Thresh whispers, "You need to tell me. I need to know who I'm with."

"I can't Thresh. I'm sorry, but I just can't."

He stops talking after that. We walk till we reach a pool. I test it with my hands. I'm so happy that everything in the arena can be controlled by some random Capital people. It's a hot springs! Not too hot, of course, but like a bath. I toss my jacket off, shake my hair out of my ponytail, throw off my shows and jump in. The water is amazing! I grin at Thresh, still standing at the pool's edge. "Come on, wuss!" I laugh.

"No way," he says.

I float on my back, "Come on!"

"Not till you tell me."

"Deal, get in and you'll know everything."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah! Just. Get. In!"

He grins, removes his jacket and shoes and jumps in. The water's only about five and a half feet deep, so it comes just to his shoulders, whereas I have to stand on tiptoes to avoid drowning. He catches me by the waist and spins me around in the water. I laugh and he sets me down. "Come on," he says, "You promised."

"Okay." I proceed to tell him everything. I start with when my mom died, when the beatings began. I tell him about the fear of coming home each day. I tell him about Maledictus and all the training. Then I tell him about my devious plot. I tell him about my plan to die to avoid my dad. I tell him why the newest announcement terrified me. When he asks why, I tell him it's because I never thought that in the process of running from my father that I would meet someone who I desperately wanted to protect.

He smiles when I say that. He looks at me for a long time, then gathers me into a huge hug. When you're a good six inches shorter and about 100 pounds lighter than someone, it feels like hugging a bear. Then I hear him whisper into my ear, "You want to get back at your dad?"

I nod.

He whispers again, "Then let's make him mad." He pushes me back just a tiny bit, and kisses me.

**Whelp. Okay, so who caught the TFIOS reference? Anywhoos, I'm putting up a poll on my page…I need help thinking up and ending for this. REVIEW PLEASE**


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